


I Think I'm Gonna Love You

by shieldslut



Series: Sledgefu Week! [3]
Category: The Pacific (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, M/M, Tiny bit of Angst, okay maybe more than a tiny bit, poor eugene needs to chill out, snafu isnt helping, tattooed Snafu, tiny bit of smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-28 20:56:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18764062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shieldslut/pseuds/shieldslut
Summary: All Eugene wanted was for his Mother to leave his love life alone- he was doing perfectly fine, thankyouverymuch- so when Burgie suggests that he takes Snafu home for Christmas, it seems like the perfect way to get her off his back.Of course, things never seem to go as planned when Snafu is involved.





	1. It Was All Pretend

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! 
> 
> So my last fic, Stafford Road, is technically a prequel to this one, but you absolutely don't have to read it to understand this! It does give a bit more insight into the dynamic I imagine for Snafu and Eugene, so it might be a bit helpful!
> 
> As always, I'm @ameliwrites on tumblr, so feel free to stop by and say hi! I hope you all love this as much as I do!
> 
> xxx,
> 
> Ameli
> 
> p.s. The title of this fic, the prequel, and all of the chapters, are from Party Pill by Cub Sport! It really is a lovely song, so give it a listen if you want!

Eugene was _done_ , he decided, as he slammed the door to his room, angrily striding to their shared living room, and practically throwing himself face first onto the couch. 

Ignoring the worried look Burgie cast his way, Eugene buried his face into the pillow, seemingly ready to smother himself to death.

“Eugene?” Burgin asked, stretching his foot out to nudge the other boy, from where he sat in the chair. 

In response, he turned his head just enough to make his muffled reply of “What?” barely audible.

“You okay?”

Burgie’s concern was audible, now, as he shifted to turn down the football game that he had been watching when Eugene intruded.

“No,” Eugene began, shifting so that he was sitting up, and pulling the pillow that he had been attempting to smother himself with into his lap.

“My mom called, again, and wouldn’t stop bugging me about getting a boyfriend, _again,_ ” he said angrily, now almost pummeling the pillow that sat innocently in his lap.

“‘Eugene,’” he began, in a rather unflattering imitation of his mother’s voice,”’You’re such a handsome young man, I’m sure you can find someone! You just need to put yourself out there!’ Well maybe I don’t want to ‘put myself out there!’ And she just doesn’t get it! It’s like as soon as I moved out, she expected me to become a whole new person!”

He was red faced, and on the verge of tears, by the time he finished speaking. It was the exact same speech he got from his mother every time she called, and he was overwhelmed to the point of exhaustion. It didn’t help that Christmas was fast approaching, which seemed to increase his mother’s obsession with his dating life.

Before Burgie could even begin to offer some vague semblance of comfort, Snafu strode into the room, carrying the bowl of popcorn that had caused him to be absent in the first place. 

“Wha’ did I miss?” Snafu asked, messily shoving popcorn into his mouth, as he flopped onto the couch. 

Despite the fact that Snafu technically lived next door, he had made a habit of visiting frequently, enough so that he was practically a third roommate, and, as such, was equally as privy to the turmoils of Eugene’s family life as Burgie was. 

When Eugene offered no more than a glare, through red rimmed eyes, Snafu sobered up a bit, cautiously moving the popcorn to rest on the coffee table, as though any sudden movement would set off the red head’s temper. 

“His mom, again,” Burgie replied for him, knowing that this would be enough for him to catch on.

Snafu nodded knowingly, glancing sideways at Eugene, and waiting for further explanation.

“I just wish there was some way to get her off my back… And I know that it’s gonna be worse when I go back for Christmas, ‘cause Edward’ll be there with his perfect girlfriend, and I’ll be alone, again.”

“Just bring someone home, then,” Snafu said with a shrug, “that’ll get ‘er off your back.”

“Don’t you think I would if I could?” Eugene replied, exasperation evident in his tone.

Burgie, who had been glancing back and forth between the other two men this whole time, finally decided to speak up. 

“Take Snafu, then,” he said with a shrug, leaning back in his chair as though he had just solved everything.

“What?” Eugene gasped, turning towards him, open mouthed and gaping. Snafu merely raised his eyebrows, evidently looking for further explanation.

“Sure, I mean just look at him,” Burgin began, gesturing lazily at the tattoos that nearly covered both of Snafu’s arms, and creeped over his collarbones, and onto the base of his neck, “No offense, but you definitely don’t look like the type that Mrs. Sledge would like to see her boy with. Maybe then she’ll give up.”

Snafu nodded contemplatively, turning the matter over in his head, before turning abruptly to face Eugene.

“I’ll do it.”

“You’ll what?!” Eugene questioned, now turning his shocked gaze to Snafu, instead.

“I’ll do it,” he repeated, “I’ll go back t’ Mobile with ya, and show your Mama that she really don’t want know what you get up t’ in your free time,” he finished, with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

Ignoring Eugene’s spluttering reply, Snafu turned his attention to the long forgotten football game, gesturing for Burgie to turn the volume back up. 

Eugene huffed at the apparent dismissal, sinking back into the couch, and beginning to mentally prepare for how he was going to tell his Mom that he had a new ‘boyfriend.’

The next three weeks were spent rehearsing their story, and learning every little detail about each other that boyfriends would be expected to know.

Ultimately, Eugene had decided to tell his Mom that he and Snafu had been dating for the last two months, and he had simply been hesitant to tell her, for fear that she wouldn’t approve of his choice.

By the time they boarded the plane back to Mobile, he felt that they were as prepared as they could possibly be.

“She’s probably gonna ask you a bunch’a questions, so ‘m sorry about that, and Edward’s definitely gonna give you shit for whatever he can, so ‘m sorry about that one too, an-“

“Sledgehamma’,” Snafu began, cutting off Eugene’s nervous ramblings, “It’s gonna be fine, I wouldn’t’a agreed to come if I thought I was gonna be scared off by your family.”

Eugene nodded slowly, clearly still worried about how Snafu was going to handle his family.

“Now, hold still and lemme lean on you so I can take a nap.”

True to his word, Snafu slept for nearly the entire flight, resting heavily on Eugene’s shoulder, and unaware of his nervous fidgeting.

By the time they had exited the plane, collected their luggage, and gotten a taxi to Eugene’s childhood home, his anxiety levels had reached an all time high. His leg was bouncing up and down incessantly, and his knuckles were white where they gripped his backpack.

Snafu seemed to be immune to the nervous energy radiating off of his friend, and was doing his best to resume his nap that had been so rudely interrupted by the plane’s landing. It was difficult, though, as his choice of pillow, Eugene’s shoulder, wouldn’t stop moving.

“‘Gene,” he began, picking his head up so he could make eye contact with the other man, “Calm _down_ , it’s your family, for God’s sakes, we’re not goin’ off to fuckin’ _war_.”

Eugene just huffed out a sigh in response, leveling Snafu with a look clearly meant to suggest that he believed Snafu should be much more worried than he currently was- but before he could begin a lecture on how he wasn’t taking this seriously enough, they arrived.

It was like Eugene’s heart had fallen right out of his chest, and while Snafu was cheerfully thanking the cab driver, and beginning to unload their luggage, all he could do was sit there and _stare _.__

__The house hadn’t changed at all since he last visited, if you ignored the Christmas lights cheerily dropped around the eaves of the building- and the sheer contrast of this wholesome scene and Snafu, with his artfully messy black hair, pierced ears, tattooed arms, and ripped jeans, was enough to stare Eugene into action._ _

__He got out of the car, unsurprised at how temperate it was, despite it being the middle of December, and grabbed his, and Snafu’s, bags, before turning to face the house once more. Despite Snafu’s attempted reassurances, it really did feel like he was going off to _‘fuckin’ war.’__ _

__Snafu threw his arm around Eugene’s shoulders, grinning cheerfully, apparently fully content to face the wrath of Eugene’s family._ _

__“C’mon, ‘Gene, time to face the firin’ squad!”_ _

__With that, Snafu shoved him forward, causing Eugene to nearly trip on the loose cobblestone path that led to the front door. He shot a glare back at the other man, who was grinning broadly, before squaring his shoulders and practically marching to the front door._ _

__Yes, indeed, time to face the firing squad._ _


	2. I Can’t Go A Minute (Without You On My Mind)

His Mother opened the door not a split-second after he knocked, all beaming smiles and southern hospitality, and Eugene couldn’t help but be a little disappointed when her smile didn’t falter at all after taking in Snafu’s appearance.

Instead, she rushed them in quickly, as though they were moments away from cashing their death in the balmy, 60 degree, Alabama winter.

Once they were inside, with their shoes off and stored safely in the mudroom, she shooed Eugene upstairs, with a bid to put away their bags in his room, and give her a chance to “get to know the lovely man he brought home,” without her son’s interference.

Snafu, for his part, ignored the panicked glance Eugene shot him, and smoothly agreed to Mrs. Sledge’s plan.

Eugene went warily, lugging the bags up the stairs with a huff that was more of annoyance, than of exertion. 

Once he had placed both of their bags at the foot of his bed, Eugene began to pace his room anxiously, more than aware that he would be in for a passive aggressive chewing out from his Mother if he went back down too soon.

He forcefully reminded himself that his parents weren’t supposed to like Snafu, they were supposed to hate him, in order for them to realize that they really did not want to be more involved in their son’s private life than they currently were. 

So why was he so worked up over the whole thing? Why did the thought of his parents judging Snafu for his tattoos, and overall appearance, cause a tight ball of anxiety to form in the pit of his stomach? 

He ran one hand angrily through his hair, messing the strands he had forced into perfect order to appease his parents, before immediately striding over to the mirror above his dresser to fix it.

“Calm down,” he murmured harshly to his reflection, “They aren’t gonna like him, you’ll suffer through it for the next few days, and then they’re never gonna mention it again, it’ll be fine.”

Taking one last deep breath, that really did very little to calm him down, he left his room to walk back downstairs, praying that everything was going at least somewhat to plan.

Before he could walk down the last few. steps, however, Eugene hesitated, the faint voices of his Mother and Snafu reaching his ears as he did so. They seemed to be having a rather pleasant conversation, much to his surprise, and he couldn’t stop himself from eavesdropping.

He crept down the last few stairs as quietly as he could, minding the creaking of the second to last step, before positioning himself just outside of the sitting room, just close enough that he could hear them without being seen.

“This one here is a magnolia,” Snafu began, and Eugene knew from experience that he was tracing the surprisingly delicate flower that rested just below the crook of his elbow, on the inside of his forearm, “It’s the state flower for Louisiana, where I’m from.”

Eugene heard his Mother hum, in some sort of polite agreement, before asking, “What about this one here? These stars?”

He knew that this was one of Snafu’s many favorites, the swirling galaxy perched at the top of his shoulder, most of the stars blended together, except for a few distinct ones that-

“-this one’s for my Mom, her zodiac constellation, this one’s for my Dad, and this one’s for my little sister,” Snafu replied, cutting off Eugene’s train of thought, “I don’t know if I rightfully believe in any a’ that, but it seemed as good of a thing as any to represent ‘em.”

Eugene’s Mother audibly cooed at that, and he felt himself growing more and more confused, whatever Snafu was doing, it was certainly not what they had planned. 

He heard his Mother ready to move on to the next tattoo, and whether it was the proud lion that circled the rest of his forearm, or the letters that spelled out “SNAFU” on his knuckles, Eugene didn’t want to find out.

So instead, he turned the corner with false bravado, that faded a bit at the sight of his Mother and fake boyfriend sitting side by side on the loveseat, his arm held loosely in her fascinated grasp.

“Bags are up!” He exclaimed, clasping his hands together in front of his chest, and forcing a smile for the benefit of the two seated in front of him.

They looked up suddenly, a bit startled by his sudden presence.

“Sure took y’long enough, cher,” Snafu replied with a lazy grin, pulling his arm from Mary’s loose grasp in favor of extending it along the back of the couch, as his legs crossed loosely at the ankles.

“Sorry ‘bout that, just wanted to take a second to look around, it’s been awhile since I was last here,” Eugene grinned sheepishly, hoping they would believe that over suspecting the truth.

“Well,” his Mother began, clasping her hands in her lap, “You’re here now! Let me just move over to the arm chair, so you can sit next to Merriell, and we can all talk a bit before supper’s ready.”

Before Eugene could protest, she had moved to the adjacent arm chair, eyeing him expectantly. To avoid suspicion, he quickly settled down next to Snafu, who was apparently now Merriell to his mother.

He sat down rather close to the other, and although sharing a couch with his friend wasn’t anything new, the arm that dropped from the back of it to rest along his shoulders definitely was.

Snafu, apparently content to ignore the way this made Eugene tense up, slid his hand down lower, until he was able to trace invisible circles on his upper arm, and used his grip to pull him even closer.

They were now sitting barely an inch apart, a fact which made his Mother almost glow with happiness, and Eugene’s breath catch in his throat.

Eugene’s Father joined the conversation a few minutes later, and after receiving a firm handshake from Snafu, he seemed to be as taken with him as his Mother was.

They sat chatting for a while, covering everything from how they met- they were neighbors- to what Snafu did for work- air conditioning repair while he went to community college- and by the end of it, his parents were perfectly charmed, and Eugene was ready to lose his mind.

Dinner was an almost sickeningly pleasant affair, absent of the vitriol and poor table manners that came with eating with Snafu. 

Even when Eugene had let that nickname slip, Snafu was all too happy to explain it away as meaning, “Situation normal, all ‘fouled’ up,” instead of the more explicit answer he usually gave.

By the end of it all, Eugene concluded that he had never been more confused in his whole life. 

Snafu, for his part, seemed as pleased as the cat who caught the canary. By the time dessert rolled around, he was leaning back in his chair, with his left hand resting casually on Eugene’s thigh. 

His hand’s very presence was enough to heat up Eugene’s whole body, heat radiating outward from where his thumb traced tiny circles on the fabric of his jeans. Because of this, most of his responses were stilted, but his parent’s hardly seemed to notice, as his ‘boyfriend’ was eager to fill any awkward silences with whatever came to mind.

Once the last plates were cleared away, Eugene was eager to escape to his room, so that he could ask Snafu _what the hell he was thinking_. 

His Mother caught them at the base of the stairs, however, in order to remind him that his brother was coming over for Christmas Eve, the following night.

“Now I know we’re really throwing you in the deep end, here, Merriell, but I’ve already warned Edward about being on his best behavior, so-“

“It’ll be fine, Mom,” Eugene interjected, cutting her off, “I promise Mer can handle Edward, now we gotta get to bed, it’s been a long day, and-“

“Fine, fine, go on then! Off to bed with you both,” Mary replied, cutting Eugene off with a look, “Goodnight, boys!”

Before she could say anything else, Eugene grabbed Snafu’s hand and practically dragged him upstairs, and into his room, shutting the door behind them with a little more force than he intended.

He let go of his hand as soon as they were in the door, and as Snafu moved to flop dramatically on the bed, arms behind his head, and legs crossed, Eugene turned angrily to face him, hands on his hips.

“What the _fuck_ was that, Snaf?”

“I dunno watch’u mean, ‘Gene, we were just eatin’ dinner, what did you expect t’ happen?” He replied, eyes half lidded and lazy as they gazed at the other man.

“You know what I mean!” Eugene cried, exasperated beyond belief, he moved to sit on the edge of the bed, pulling one leg up so he could face Snafu, where he lay half propped against the headboard.

“You were supposed to make them _hate_ you, not make them fall in love! Now they’re just gonna wanna know about _you_ every time they call, and since we’re not actually dating, I’ll have to lie even more, and tell them we broke up or something, and _then_ -“

“Hey hey hey, easy now, Sledgehamma’,” Snafu cut in, breaking off the increasingly hysterical rant, and leaning forward so that he could place a hand on his shoulder. 

“It’s all gonna be okay, I-“

“No it’s not, Snafu! It’s not! I can’t- I can’t do this anymore! I’m already the gay son, I’m already the _disappointment_ , and now- and now, I’m gonna have to tell them I broke up with my perfect ‘boyfriend,’ and disappoint them all over again!” Eugene was nearly in tears at this point, his inner fears and anxieties verbalizing before he could even try to hold them back.

“‘Gene,” Snafu murmured, rubbing circles on his back as he moved to sit next to him. Eugene reflexively leaned into him, allowing the first sob to erupt out of him.

“They- they’re gonna _hate_ me, Snaf! If they don’t already! And- and I thought this might fix everything, but it won’t! It’s all gonna be worse!” Eugene cried, tears now flowing freely down his face.

“Hey, hey, look at me, ‘Genie, look at me,” Snafu said, moving the hand that wasn’t on his back to cup his jaw, turning the other man to face him.

“They ain’t gonna hate you, they love you! You’re their son! They practically think sun shines outta your ass, for godssake!” Snafu exclaimed, relishing in the watery chuckle that escaped Eugene upon hearing his last statement.

“I- I’m sorry that I went and fucked up your whole plan, it’s just… I really, really didn’t wan’ them t’ hate me,” he continued, nearly whispering the concluding half of his statement.

“But _why_ , Mer? They’re never gonna see you again! I just, I needed you to do this for me, and you didn’t!” Eugene was almost angry now, convinced that the other man was acting this way for his own, selfish, reasons.

“Because! I- I,” Snafu took a deep breath, readying himself to finish his thought, “I want t’ see them again. I _wanna_ come back for Easter, and your birthday, and hell, my birthday if they want! And for Thanksgiving, and for next Christmas, and for every holiday after that!”

When Eugene didn’t offer any reply besides staring uncomprehendingly at the other, Snafu continued.

“I don’t want them t’ hate me, I want them to at least _like_ me!”

“Then- then we’ll have a nice, mutual breakup! And you can come visit whenever, as my friend! But you shoulda _told_ me, Snaf, and-“

“You don’t get it!” He half yelled, standing suddenly to pace the room.

“Dammit, ‘Gene! Listen t’ what I’m saying! I want them t’ like me as your boyfriend! I want them t’ think I’m good enough for you, and I know I’m not, it’s like Burgie said, ‘m not exactly boyfriend material, but I would try t’ be! For you!”

He kneeled, then, in front of Eugene, clasping his hands in his own as their watery eyes met.

“Snaf…”

“I just… I think I could love you, ‘Gene. No, fuck that, I know I could love you. I know I _do_ love you.”

“You… you don’t mean that,” Eugene replied, shaking his head violently enough that a few more tears escaped from where they had remained welled in his eyes.

“But I do, ‘Gene,” Snafu replied, gripping his hands tighter between his own, “I do mean it, c’mon, do you think I woulda done this for Burgie? Leyden? I know you ain’t a fool, so stop actin’ like one.”

Eugene pressed his lips tightly together, forming them into a thin line, as he tilted his head down, fully breaking eye contact for the first time since Snafu had knelt in front of him.

“Please,” Snafu replied wearily, “If you don’t want this, that’s fine, but jus’ tell me.”

It was clear that the emotional vulnerability was wearing on them both, but Snafu especially, he didn’t think he could recall a time when he was so open with his anyone, but he knew that if he couldn’t do it now, he never would.

Eugene stared at him unblinkingly for a moment, long enough for Snafu’s heart to sink in his chest, and for him to begin to try to pull his hands away from where they were still clasped with the other’s. Eugene’s grip was unyielding, however, and instead of letting go, he pulled him closer.

“C’mere,” he muttered finally, before tilting his head down to press his lips against Snafu’s.

Snafu leaned eagerly into the kiss, loosening one hand from between them to cup Eugene’s jaw, pulling him impossibly closer.

The kiss are hungry quickly, Eugene letting something halfway between a whimper and a moan escape him when Snafu’s other hand moved to lace itself in his hair.  
His own hands lay uselessly in his lap for a moment, before he moved them to trace down Snafu’s shoulder blades, down his spine, before coming to a rest on his waist, clutching his think t-shirt between his fingers. 

He tugged lightly then, spreading his knees so that Snafu could shuffle forward and press closer to him.

It felt like he was drowning, in the absolute best way possible, when Snafu pulled away with a muffled gasp. He leaned his forehead against Eugene’s, locking eyes with him once again.

“You gotta tell me, ‘Gene, tell me what your thinkin’,” he murmured, both hands now running through the hair on the back of his head.

“I- I dunno, yet, Snaf. I dunno if I love you, and I don’t wanna lie to you. But- but I know that I could love you, I’ve known that for a long time.”

That was enough for Snafu, Eugene supposed, as he didn’t hesitate before surging forward and connecting their lips once again. 

If he thought the last kiss was hungry, this one was _ravenous_. Snafu thought that it felt like they were making up for lost time, in a way, and he slowly stood up, just enough so that he could climb on the bed to sit on Eugene’s lap.

Eugene didn’t even attempt to restrain the whimper that escaped him at that action, and he could feel Snafu’s smirk against his lips as he clutched helplessly at the fabric covering his lower back. 

He could feel himself growing hard in his pants, the combination of Snafu’s weight on top of him, and his tongue in his mouth, nearly overwhelming. Eugene would’ve been embarrassed, but as Snafu lightly pressed down against him, he could tell that the he was no better off.

They soon got caught up in the push and pull of the other, rocking almost unconsciously against the other, panting into each other’s mouths.

Maybe they were moving too fast, going from friends, to fake boyfriends, to ‘ _are we actually about to fuck on your childhood bed_?’ all within twenty-four hours, but it felt right, it felt good, and neither man could bring themselves to stop.

Snafu let out a particularly helpless moan, and that was enough to push Eugene into action.

“Let me take care of you,” Eugene murmured, pulling away just enough for his words to not be lost in their kiss, sliding his hands down so that his fingertips just barely snuck under the him of his jeans. Snafu nodded helplessly, certain that he would agree to just about anything if it meant Eugene kept touching him, especially if it meant he would keep moving his hands further down.

Much to his disappointment, however, Eugene removed his hands entirely for a split second, before resettling them on his hips and shuffling him off his lap, to sit next to him instead.

But before he could begin to voice his complaint, Eugene slid off of the bed, moving to kneel between Snafu’s legs, in a reversal of their earlier position.

“‘Gene,” Snafu murmured, realization rushing over him, as he leaned back on one hand, running the other lightly through the other’s hair.

“Please, Snaf, let me do this,” Eugene replied, looking up with such earnestly reflected in his eyes that Snafu could do nothing but agree.

“You can do whatever you want to me, ‘cher,” he said, trying to affect some of his usual bravado, which quickly vanished with a breathy gasp as Eugene reached forward to unzip his jeans.

Eugene was undeniably out of his element, trying to fake some semblance of confidence as he finished undoing Snafu’s pants.

Some of that feigned confidence became real, however, when he realized just how _hard_ Snafu was in his hand.

“‘Gene, _please_ ,” Snafu gasped, his grasp on Eugene’s hair becoming a bit more solid, as he leaned forward to lick a stripe up the underside of Snafu’s length.

He had next to no clue what he was doing, but if Snafu’s breathy moan when he slipped him into his mouth for the first time was any indication, he was doing something right.

Later, when Snafu came with a cry, and a gentle tug of his hair, he concluded he had _definitely_ done something right.


	3. Can I Build My Life Around You?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is superrr short, but I wanted to clarify Eugene's feelings before the sequel!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> xxx,  
> Ameli

The next morning, Eugene woke up nestled into a shirtless Snafu, their legs intertwined under the covers. 

He was shocked at how natural it all felt, as his head balanced on Snafu’s chest, and his free hand traced the delicate lines of the phoenix spread across it.

It wasn’t like he had missed the obvious signs of Snafu’s interest in him, but he had always brushed them off as a part of his flashy, almost over the top, personality. Because of this, he had pushed down his feelings for the other man, hoping to save himself some heartache.

Now, though, everything had changed.

Now, he was about to have breakfast with his parents, and his _boyfriend_.

Not his best friend masquerading as his boyfriend, his actual, honest-to-god, _boyfriend_.

Everything had changed, but as he lay there, watching Snafu’s eyes slowly flutter open, and a lazy grin spread across his face, he couldn’t help but feel that this wasn’t an unexpected change, rather, it was inevitable, and they had just taken their sweet time getting there.

Snafu turned to press a warm kiss to his forehead, and Eugene decided that he could build his life, their future, around moments like this.


End file.
